Why does Dusty have this reputation with Astros fans of not playing great players? He has been pretty frustrating with his refusal to play prospects but people act like he is trying to lose games. Bell is a .300 hitter, who walks, hits for power, and happens to be a black dude. It's more than a little absurd to think Dusty won't play him.
A pretty good scenario would be to get Joey Bart and hope and pray he turns that bat around. He isnt a bad player he just needs to hit more
I don't think they give up Brown unless they are getting a player under contract for a few years that they really like. For example if for some reason the Astros decided they wanted Thomas and they had to deal Brown and Urquidy, I could see them do that. The other possibility would be if the Astros got a minor leaguer they like better. As for Whitley, all I know if that the person that disliked him the most is no longer with the organization. So I would think he still has value to the Astros but I haven't really heard very much about him.
Dusty has played worse players because he doesn't accurately value players. Dusty has played worse players too high in the lineup because he values lineups the way they were instead of like more efficient modern lineups. I don't think Dusty is trying to lose games, but I don't trust him to accurately value Yuli's defense, offense, and veteran leadership.
I wouldn’t expect there to be a Dusty problem re acquiring Bell but after the Castro shenanigans all bets are off, imo.
The Astros will make at least 1 significant move. There is too much smoke for it not to happen. Now with Yordan needing to be babied through the rest of the season it's even more important. This team CAN win the World Series and Crane desperately wants it. They will overpay for Bell or another bat and possibly Castillo ( hopefully) They also have several AAA and/or AA players who have been slow to develop because of COVID, a late start playing baseball, and/or injury that are legitimate players and must be protected or exposed to rule 5 draft. Jordan Brewer and David Hensley are examples of guys I notice might have enough skill and value to be picked and stick on a roster. Might as well trade some of those guys in an over pay to improve the chances now.
Yordan and Tucker can hold their own. We're talking what, at most three 7 game series, 21 games in the post season. No gold glove lf/cf/rf was catching Soler and Braves home runs. In the playoffs, I don't see Yuli's 1st base masterclass defense being sat. It's the only way and it's temporary.
No. (Edit: this could actually be a yes since it did take an injury to get Tucker in as a starter in 2020). Value of a player is more than offense. Has Dusty not played Chas, a player who's WAR/PA has exceeded Bell's since he's been up despite playing LF a lot, in lieu of a worse player frequently?
Who is this clearly worse player that Dusty has been playing so much more frequently? Tucker, Brantley, Myers and maybe the best defensive CF in baseball Siri. Chas prior to the last few weeks has sucked this year. Since he's been playing well he's been playing basically everyday.
Well said. He’s not trying to lose games, he’s just a creature or another age when we knew less about what leads to winning and losing and isn’t intellectually curious enough or malleable enough to have updated his thinking.
In addition to all the other hitting issues the Astros suddenly have, Jake Meyers just looks like he has not fully recovered from the labrum injury. His throws look very weak. 1 HR and SLG under .400 in 84 AB/92 PA. I still think Jake is a player in this league and can be a very big piece of the club. In 2023. He looks like an average player with significant weaknesses but lots of intangibles for 2022. The problem is that Maldy and Yuli are already those guys. How many of them can you have on one team. Suddenly so many question marks.
An Alvarez (LF)/Tucker (CF)/Brantley (RF) defense would suffice for one or two regular season games. But trust me, they will not do that in a playoff game, especially now that there is a universal DH. As stated many times, the Astros value good OF defense too much. Regarding Mitch Garver, he wouldn't be of any real use to us this year because he is apparently shut down from throwing for the rest of the year. Besides, while we have trade history with the other 3 division rivals, I feel Daniels from the Rangers is very keen on not trading anybody to Houston. If we are looking at a backup catcher, how about a Christian Walker/Carson Kelly/Joe Mantiply 3-for-1 trade with Arizona? Astros get: 1B Christian Walker C Carson Kelly LHP Joe Mantiply Diamondbacks get: RHP Bryan Abreu RHP Brandon Bielak IF Joe Perez SS Christian Gonzalez Walker seems like the type of guy our FO would be high on. Much better xBA, lots of bad luck. Great power and BB/K ratio. I've watched him play, I am not sure how good he is at scooping but he moves very well and has great range and athleticism. Plus, with the expected rule change next year, I think he'd be the type of player who would see huge benefits (he is under control for two more years after this year). I feel Abreu will have some good value to them as Strom is familiar with him and really liked his stuff, while Bielak can instantly slot into their rotation and is having a great year in AAA.
Yeah- we needed a bat desperately before Brantley went down, now with him being out and all the stuff you mentioned it would be irresponsible not to add two.
So the Bell trade is gonna happen folks, so get used to the idea. Here is your World Series winning lineup: Altuve Brantley Bregman Alvarez Bell Tucker Pena Meyers/McCormick Maldonado Gurriel, Diaz, Dubon off the bench
I think if the D'Backs make that kind of a deal then it will be for more upside and control. Strom loves Abreu but there are other high ceiling lottery ticket guys like Dubin that Strom also probably likes and would have a longer window to work with and produce. Bielak is a AAAA pitcher with no upside. No team looking for the future will want or value him. He is a great insurance policy that's all. Perez and Gonzalez are very valuable pieces to a rebuilding team
I think in that scenario (which is anything but a sure thing), Bell would bat 2nd: 2B Altuve 1B Bell 3B Bregman DH Alvarez RF Tucker SS Pena LF Brantley CF Meyers C Maldonado Bench: Dubon, Gurriel, Lee, Diaz
